MAM
Tarun Nigam to lead VivaKi Partnerships’ operations
MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe’s VivaKi Exchange has appointed Tarun Nigam as COO for Vivaki Partnerships.He will be based in New Delhi and report directly to VivaKi Exchange CEO Mona Jain.
Vivaki Partnerships is the special unit housed under VivaKi Exchange that pursuses partnerships with local full service agencies and media agencies in Tier 2 & 3 markets across the country.
Nigam has over eighteen years of experience. The first four years were in pioneer TV production and marketing house United Television [UTV] and next eight in WPP Media [Mindshare, Maxus and MediaCom]. Most recently he was at Starcom MediaVest Group.
In his stint at WPP‘s various agencies, he worked on accounts such as Gillette, Ranbaxy, Hero Honda, LG Electronics, American Express, NIIT and Monte Carlo. Before he moved as office head for MediaCom Delhi earlier this year, he led several clients at Maxus, including the large and complex Hero Honda AOR. At Starcom, he has serviced Samsung, Aircel, Educomp and many other clients. Most recently, Tarun played a key role in streamlining SMG India’s operations by taking on the additional responsibility of National Director Business Impact.
VivaKi Exchange CEO Mona Jain said, “Our game is changing. To write the next chapter of VivaKi Partnerships, we were looking for someone who has the right mix of maturity and hunger, someone with a broad exposure to communication and marketing and who comes with a business, not just media, bias. Tarun fits the bill nicely.”
Nigam said, “I really liked the model of VivaKi partnerships and felt that the role is the right fit for me. I am looking forward to taking VivaKi partnerships to the next level”
VivaKi India country chair Srikant Sastri, said, “Over the past two years, we have achieved tremendous success in building a viable model for Tier 2&3 markets, as well as small advertisers. We are now moving from a start-up phase to a growth phase by putting a stronger organization in place.”
The partnerships that Vivaki Partnerships deals with are in the form of exclusive relationships to support the agencies on their strategic product, and provide value-added services. Additionally, VivaKi Partnerships also works with small size advertisers to help them achieve better pricing value on their media spends.
Brands
UltraTech Cement appoints Jayant Dua as managing director
Dua will succeed K. C. Jhanwar after his term ends in December 2026
MUMBAI: UltraTech Cement, the flagship cement arm of the Aditya Birla Group, has elevated Jayant Dua as managing director, effective 1 April, 2026.
The company’s board also approved his appointment as additional director, managing director and key managerial personnel, effective 1 January, 2027, following the completion of the current managing director K C Jhanwar’s term on 31 December, 2026, according to a regulatory filing.
Dua will serve as managing director for a four-year term from 1 January, 2027 to 31 December, 2030.
A veteran executive with more than 37 years of professional experience, Dua joined the Aditya Birla Group’s cement business in 1996 and spent nearly a decade in various functional and leadership roles.
Over the past two decades, he has held several profit-and-loss and chief executive responsibilities across multiple group businesses, including insulators, insurance, Century Cement and the chlor-alkali segment. In 2023, he was elevated to lead the group’s renewables and textiles businesses.
Within the group, Dua has received several internal honours, including the chairman’s individual award for exceptional contribution in 2002, the outstanding leader award in 2009 and the leader of leaders recognition in 2022.
He holds an engineering degree from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, an MBA from International Management Institute and has completed the advanced management programme at Harvard Business School.
